After one game, the Chicago Bulls held a players-only meeting to address a disastrous 20-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.
"It was just regular discussions of what needs to be done," Nikola Vucevic said, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. "A lot of guys said a lot of good things, things that needed to be said. I think we can really use this to learn and change some things that we need to change."
He continued: "It wasn't anything crazy, no fighting or none of that. It was really constructive. It was maybe one of the first times since I've been here that this was like this. And it was really needed."
Head coach Billy Donovan believes the meeting following the team's season opener proves the vibes are different from last season's Bulls squad.
"That would've never happened last year. It would've been a quiet group," Donovan explained. "So, the confrontation piece is a sign that it's important to them. And they know we've got to be better."
Chicago's opening-night 124-104 blowout to the Thunder also featured a heated third-quarter confrontation between Vucevic and Donovan. However, the coach says there are no hard feelings over the incident.
"It wasn't disrespectful or anything. He was just frustrated with the way we were playing," Donovan said. "I didn't blame him. I fell in line with him."
He added: "I think the confrontation piece is really, really good. I think it's really healthy. And I think it needs to happen as much as possible."
Chicago is coming off a 40-42 season in 2022-23.
